The Daybreakers/Lightning Threads/Bone Broke Kings –
Corporation, Sheffield, Thursday 8th September, 2022
Set List: How Many More Times/Basement Blues/Yellow Brick Lane/White Queen/Emily Rose/Don't Wait For Me/Freak Me Baby/Ruby Sunset/White Room.
And back to the Corporation it is again and this time for a Blues Rock extravaganza of a night that begins with cracking openers in the Bone Broke Kings. This is kind of ironic after the Queen just dying a few hours previous right? Especially since we now have a King.
They are usually a five piece but their keyboard player, Greg Deller could not make the show so it was a quartet tonight in Brothers, Tom Marrison (Vocals/Guitar) & Jack Marrison (Guitar/Vocals), Jack Copson (Bass) & David Green (Drums).
Tons of highlights to their set that started with a top quality bit of very recognisable Led Zeppelin in the form of 'How many more times?' that they made their own before going into one of their own 1st number of the night called 'Basement Blues' that was a moderate pumper that has a cool wailing riff on the chorus and a cracking atmospheric building section that explodes all over the room.
These Doncaster/Ollerton based boys were completely in tune with one another – especially since they rehearse on a regular basis in good ole local town to me which is Worksop. Anyway, back to the show where 'Yellow Brick Lane' is a real striving number with wobbly metallic echo and pumping drums. 'Don't Wait For Me' has an early Fleetwood Mac like sound to it (a la Peter Green). This was thanks to those beautiful guitar echoes and long standing cymbal sounds with plenty of space to fill.
I got the impression it was like they had really studied the feel and ambience of that band or similar acts of the time and some Rival Sons too, moulding themselves around the styles of Blues Rock from the late 60's and matching them completely. Anyway, it totally worked for them.
Another track 'Ruby Sunset' has some nice slide-work on the introduction section that's followed by a slower effort which has a delightful crashing beautiful melody. As a vocalist, Tom is solid, strong and clear with all musicality perfectly fitting in the pocket.
Oh did I mention the slide sounds from Jack? Yes I did just recently didn't I! Well I will again since they were so amazingly atmospheric and totally immersed you in that flowing groove, not to mention that mind-blowing Psychedelic feel as well.
An outstanding version of Cream's 'White Room' closes their performance but believe me I could have easily took in way more of what these guys had been giving since they were that f*ck*ng good! In fact, I enjoyed them so much that I bought their album 'Ruby Sunset'.
Bone Broke Kings were perfect start to the night.
Setlist: Blame You/Never Cry/Next Door Neighbour Blues/Tattoo Girl/This Ain't Easy/Be Honest/Preacher/ Brown Liquor Black Coffee/Light My Fire/Mystical Woman/Bloodlines.
Now I remember that Steve Cooper and I witnessed these guys live last year at another venue during Tramlines and we were mightily impressed on that occasion, therefore we had a good sense that this would be no exception.
Sheffield's Lightning Threads are a trio culminating the top notch talents of Tom Jane (Vocals/Guitar), Sam Burgam (Bass/Vocals) & Hugh Butler (Drums/Keyboards) who like the openers stock up some more tight blues and are real cool onstage. Mr Jane has some real aggressive 'n' dynamic Strat work going down coupled with killer solid rhythm from Messrs Burgam & Butler that locks in tight, driving the melody so, so well on all numbers we are pleasured with.
These guys have a healthy batch of ditties that each have killer hooks like first cut, 'Blame You' which shows the standard of what we are going to be blessed with for the rest of their time on the stage. There are some great vocals on offer that are truly complimented with very sweet sounds guitar wise – well it is a Fender after all so I would nothing but to be honest – and man, this guy can really play as well!
Then there is the cracking 'Never Cry'; the throbbing 'Next Door Neighbour Blues' that reminds me of early ZZ Top; the cool laid back number 'This Ain't Easy' that is placed perfectly in the set and 'Be Honest' with its soothing but short bright guitar solo.
Another well worth a mention is the fabulous moderately paced slow soul meets Reggae 'n' Funk Blues going by the name of 'Brown Liquor Black Coffee' that has its eruptive moments as well as morphing into The Doors 'Light My Fire', thanks to those trill ebony and ivory notes for a while before returning back to the original song.
The proceedings closed on a fab rocker called 'Bloodline' that you cannot help bopping to if you happen to have a pulse! Like the last time we saw them, they completely floored us with musical greatness – a band many folk need to see if they haven't already.
Setlist: Shadows/Bluesbreaker/Tear The Walls Down/I Hate Rock ’N’ Roll/Crash & Burn/I Just Wanna Be Loved/Please Don’t Go/Find Me In The Gutter/Son Of A Gun.
So now it's time for the headline band on this quiet in here Thursday night. The Daybreakers really are a full-on holy-f*ck kinda band that don't come around very often kickin' it off with the Funk Blues of 'Shadows'.
They are made up of Aidan Connell (Guitar/Vocals), Conor Cotterill (Bass) & Max Revell (Drums). It's like The Jimi Hendrix Experience but each member of the trio is black and not just the frontman himself.
I know it may sound really, really cliché but these gentlemen totally blow your mind and make up your hair stand on end with their electrifying finesse, prominent, musical flashiness and dynamic melodics throughout in every single song that makes up their magical set.
They take you on a bluesy journey that sucks you into a void that you never want to escape from. Maybe that sounds like I am getting carried away with a response like this to these London based dudes but take them into your ears, eyes and heart and try saying otherwise.
Their Frontman/Guitarist, Aidan almost has a kind of Marc Bolan like voice in a black way if that makes any sense – hearing is believing here – simply trust me on that – collective coolness all the way! The man simply does not keep still for too long. He cranks out spine-tingling, dark, deep-frying and blasting riffs that put light into into an already energetic, thrusting of power. Max and Charlie are the perfect professional rhythm section needed too to complete the musical triangle.
Tons of gems from their performance like the phasing bluesy brilliance of 'Bluesbreaker'; the racing 'Tear The Walls Down' & the Indie Rock of 'Crash & Burn'. One tune that really stood out blends 'With Or Without You' by U2 in and gives Bono and the boys a run for their money then took the temp down a tad or two with the slow 'n' gutsy 'I Just Want To Be Loved' giving them a bit of a breather if you want to call it that.
There is also an awesome cut that reminded me of The Beatle's 'Taxman' at times when it came to the melody side of things followed by. Another track reminds me of 'Spoonful' or Good Morning Little Schoolgirl' where Aidan switched guitars and even flew a bit of reggae in there too.
All of us there got so carried away in it all that the band could have played forever if it hadn't be for the legendary Lee – staff member extraordinaire at the Corp who said “Last song” – so they made it a nice long one of course and bulleted us to the finish with the stonking closer 'Son Of A Gun' with its dirty raw slide-work that has the brilliance of the likes of Ronnie Wood at his finest moments in there.
They still had time to chat to us after their set since there was no club night that followed. What an experience! Sheffield you should have been there – you certainly missed out here!
By Glenn Milligan